FALL GROWING GUIDE · REGION II
When to plant
tomatoes
in West Texas.
A fall tomato crop starts earlier than the cool weather it will eventually grow into. Use established transplants rather than beginning with outdoor seed at the reference date.
AVERAGE FALL PLANTING DATE
June 15
Transplant · Frost sensitive
LAST OPTIMUM DATE
July 10
Separate guidance from source Table 2.
A recurring regional reference from the 2014 Extension guide. This is not a forecast or a guaranteed growing window.
What this means for your garden.
The source groups a broad western swath of Texas into Region II. Its calendar sits between the Panhandle and the central region, with midsummer starts for many fall vegetables.
For tomatoes, the regional reference is June 15, with July 10 listed separately as the last optimum date. This is a large region with differences in elevation and exposure. Use the calendar to organize your plan, then check your county Extension advice and the conditions in your bed.
Your next three steps
- Choose the right start.
Compare the last optimum date with your intended transplant date. If that window has passed, a shorter-season cool-weather crop may be a better use of the bed.
- Give the plant a good first week.
Check the root ball while the plant settles in. Keep moisture consistent without leaving the roots in saturated soil, and put supports in place while plants are small.
- Keep a record you can use next season.
Save your planned date, then change it to the day you actually plant. Record completion in My Garden; the reference calendar stays separate from your own history.
WHY LOCATION MATTERS
One crop. Five different calendars.
How the same crop’s average date compares with West Texas.
Texas PanhandleJune 114 days earlierCentral & East TexasJuly 116 days laterCoastal South TexasJuly 1025 days laterRio Grande ValleyAugust 147 days laterSource, scope & a little context.
Table 1 supplies average fall planting dates. Table 2 supplies last optimum dates only for the crops it lists. Figure 1 defines the five historical gardening regions; these are not current USDA hardiness zones.
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension · Fall Vegetable Gardening Guide (EHT-056) ↗Dates: Table 1, p. 2; last optimum date: Table 2, p. 3. Region: Figure 1, p. 3. Source checked 2026-09-27. Editorial care notes are general planning advice; your county Extension office can refine them.
Read our methodology →